News from the Senior Management Team no. 27/2013

New ST vice-dean

Professor Mogens Nielsen has been appointed vice-dean for research at Science and Technology.

Professor Mogens Nielsen replaces Professor Henrik Bindslev, who left the position for a job as Director for the European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy ("Fusion for Energy").

New meetings between departments and senior management team

New processes prior to senior management team meetings are designed to give the deans better possibilities in future for involving departments and academic environments to a greater extent in discussions and treatment of current issues before they are considered for final decision-making by the senior management team.

Another initiative is that, each month, the senior management team moves a meeting to one of the university's departments, where the senior management team will meet with the department in question to enable it to learn about the university's academic activities, priorities and development potential.

The first meetings will be held during the autumn.

Brian Bech Nielsen will provide more information about the new initiatives at the management seminar on 27-29 August.

AU involved in Aarhus as European Capital of Culture 2017

Aarhus University is taking an active role in Aarhus as the European Capital of Culture 2017. Rebecca Matthews, Managing Director of Capital of Culture 2017, has had a preliminary meeting with the rector, Brian Bech Nielsen.

Aarhus University has allocated DKK 5 million for projects – either research or activities related to Aarhus as cultural capital in 2017. In addition, a research project has already been planned which is designed to rethink and shape our notions of the value, usefulness and the perception of cultural events and being a capital of culture.

Aarhus 2017 has chosen RETHINK as its overall theme. Aarhus 2017 will be a laboratory for new ways of using art, culture and creativity, and the desire is to incorporate social and cultural factors for the purpose of creating human, economic and sustainable growth.

AU is deemed to be an important strategic partner as the university can contribute valuable knowledge and research on the interplay between people and social and cultural factors.

The first invitation to apply for funding comes in the autumn. The funds are being allocated by a steering committee with representatives from the City of Aarhus, Central Denmark Region and Aarhus University. The steering committee is holding its first meeting on 12 September.

Study fair celebrates 25th anniversary

On Monday 2 September, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education Morten Østergaard and dean Mette Thunø are together visiting the Student Council's study fair at Campus Aarhus, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. And on Tuesday 3 September, the rector Brian Bech Nielsen is passing by.

The study fair allows new students to get an impression of student life, and gives them an opportunity to explore the wide range of offers which are available to students. Thousands of students drop by every year.

The Student Council's study fair takes place in the Main Hall, the Sun Courtyard and the Ambulatory at Aarhus University, Nordre Ringgade 4 on 2-4 September from 10-16 daily.

Up in Chinese rankings

Aarhus University is up five places in the latest edition of the so-called Shanghai Ranking of the world's best universities. The university has thus achieved its best ever position, with an 81st place.

Part of the explanation for this year's progress is that Aarhus University's researchers are publishing an ever increasing number of articles; these are also being published in the major journals Science and Nature, which carry particular weight in the rankings.

Since 2010, Aarhus University has moved up a total of 17 places on the Shanghai Ranking list, officially known as the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Harvard, Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, top the list. There are three European universities in the top 20, with the University of Cambridge (no. 5) and the University of Oxford (no. 10) being the best-placed.

The Senior Management Team publishes a newsletter every week. This newsletter includes a brief description of current activities and discussions. You can sign up for the Danish version of the newsletter at info.au.dk/medarbbreve, after which you will receive an e-mail whenever the newsletter is issued.